Linked By Fate
by dmcorbell
Summary: What happens when two mortal enemies are linked by a shocking chain of events? (HermioneDraco) SPOILERS!
1. Default Chapter

**Authors Note:** **WARNING! THIS IS A HERMIONE/DRACO FIC. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THIS COUPLING PLEASE DO NOT FLAME. YOU ARE CONTINUING TO READ WILLINGLY.** **This is my first serious Harry Potter fic. that I've decided to plan and go along with. I do not own the characters or setting, but a bit of the plot is mine. **

Chapter One 

"I absolutely will not allow you two to go along with this scheme," Hermione scowled at the two teenage boys sitting across from her at the table, "I've allowed you guys to become Crabbe and Goyle, drag me through a hidden hole in the floor under a three headed dog, organize an illegal group of wizards learning defense, _and_ managed never to get expelled. I don't think I should risk my chances with a petty prank you'd like to pull on Draco Malfoy."

"Are you defending him from us?" Ron spat, closing his book with rage.

"No, I'm only saying that I won't be involved in this Ronald. Now please allow me to finish-."

"I can't believe this. You actually feel something for that scum!"

"I absolutely do not! I cannot believe that you would say such a thing directed towards me. His father is in Azkaban and I highly doubt that has come to terms with him yet. I only feel pity towards him, no sympathy or hormones involved. Now, Ronald, Harry, I need to finish up with my studying. Then I will retreat to dinner and will continue my day with a long nap since today is Saturday. I'd highly hope you don't do what you're planning on doing…"

"See you later, Hermione," Harry offered as he rushed after Ron, who was currently storming away.

"I can't believe that red-head of a boy…thinking that _I _of all people would have feelings for _that wretched_ Malfoy…" she hissed under her breath flipping through a book, "Curse it, I can't even concentrate now!"

She slammed the book shut and gathered her bag to leave the library.

"Granger, I don't believe I've had a chance to speak with you this year…" Malfoy sneered coming from behind a bookshelf, "Though I do believe you've been speaking of me quite fancifully."

"Go to perdition, Draco," Hermione snapped tossing her hair back and walking out the door.

"I'm not done with you, Granger!" he shouted rushing after her and grabbing her arm, "I only want to talk."

"Talk? To me? The horrible mudblood?"

"Please, Granger, I really don't have time for games…"

"Fine," she hissed walking back into the library and leading him behind a particularly abandoned reading area, "what are you wanting?"

"Thanks…for saying what you said to Weasley…that was nice of you…"

"Since when do you care?" she asked looking at her nails with interest, "That's not really why I'm here, is it?"

"…No…actually…It's been granted my burden to give you this…Honestly Granger, I'm so sorry…."

"For what Draco? For-." He shoved a piece of folded paper into her ribs and walked away briskly, as if her accusations had affected him.

She opened it only to find Dumbledore's neat handwriting.

_Ms.Granger,_

_I am sorry to inform you that today, at 3 this morning, your parents were found dead inside your lovely house. We are quite sure that this is the effect from a Death Eater attack on your home. You are now in the custody of the Weasley's until further notice._

_With great sympathy,_

Professor and Headmaster Dumbledore 

Malfoy had read the note, that was what he had been apologizing for, she realized; he was only a few paces away.

"Malfoy!" she shouted over her shoulder, fighting back the tears as she ran to him. He turned to look at her, a dazed look in his eyes.

"You-you read this…didn't you?" she asked holding up the letter.

"Yes," he said looking down at the ground beside him, "Granger-."

"You had no right to read this…you are not concerned at all in my life, and you had no right…"

He held out a similar piece of paper to her.

"Read this, so that we'll be even."

She opened it and began to read it silently.

"No mudblood, read it out loud."

She looked up at him warily and started to read it quietly, her voice shaking.

"_Mr. Draco Malfoy, I am sorry to inform you that…your father has been…executed for the death of…Mr. And Mrs. Granger, both muggles and parents of Hermione Granger…" _She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.

"Keep reading," he demanded through gritted teeth.

"_He was captured a short distance from the house, and was taken back to Azkaban…the prison he had escaped from due to an unnamable source. With sympathy, Professor and Headmaster Dumbledore."_

"See Granger," he said gingerly taking the letter from her hands, "we're more alike than you think…"

"No, I am nothing like you and your family, Malfoy," she choked, not caring to wipe away the tears.

"Believe it or not, Granger," he said smirking, "I'm better than the man they killed today."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"I let you in on a secret no one else will know about until the Daily Prophet comes out," he said crumbling up the letter, "and you need me, because I'm the only one who's going to understand you. Sure, Potter's parents were killed by Voldemort, but he didn't know them…you knew yours, didn't you Granger. And I knew mine. I've watched them wilt away right in front of me, and you knew it was coming too. You just didn't know how to stop it…and I can see it in your eyes. The fear, and the doubt…I'm different than my father…I would have spared them."

With that he left a shocked Hermione standing there, her books fallen to the ground.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two 

Hermione sat alone during dinner. Harry was with Ron who was sitting farther away from her glaring. Ginny was afraid to come over because Ron had her on a leash, and most everyone else just didn't feel the need to speak with her.

"Granger." Malfoy said as he passed her on his way to his regular seat where his accomplices were already sitting. At the sound of her name she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, the scent of Draco Malfoy filling her nostrils.

"Draco," she hissed under her breath. His head turned slowly as if to acknowledge her reply, and she felt Ron's eyes on the back of her head. Rolling her eyes she turned back to her dinner, separating her food into small compartments on her plate.

"I can't stand this," she whispered to herself, getting up from the table and walking out of the dining hall. As she leaned against the wall trying to calm down Malfoy entered the hallway.

"Are you happy now?" she shouted at him brokenly, "I can't even stand to eat!"

"You'll get better…" he reassured her gently, coming over to sit by her on the floor.

"You're acting totally out of character," she told him, looking down at her interlocking hands, "what's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

"No, Granger, I'm not sick…but…I'm different. It's like this huge chain has been lifted from my neck…He's dead…and yeah…that's horrible, but…now I'm free…"

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him and shook her head.

"A prisoner in your own home," she quoted.

"Yeah…and now…I feel kind of alone because I don't have a stable family…not that I ever have…but I also feel like I can be my own person…"

"Why are you acting like you can sympathize with me?" Hermione choked, moving away, "why do you think we have anything in common?"

"We're both missing something, Granger," he stated patting her on the knee as he stood up, "Go eat something…you'll starve yourself to death if you don't."

"No one will miss me if I'm gone…"she stuttered.

"People care, Hermione. Ron cares, Harry cares, Ginny…and so do…I." He shook his head and laughed softly at himself, "yeah, I care. Without you, who could manage to reach my level of enemy standards?"

"You're a jackass, Malfoy," Hermione called as she stood up.

"But the sexiest one out there," he called back.

"You wish," she answered walking back into the dining hall. Ron and Harry looked up surprised but she only smiled softly and sat alone. Making peace would have to wait.


	3. Chapter 3

"Tell me what is going on between you and Malfoy!" Ronald demanded, walking briskly behind a rushing Hermione after dinner that night.

"I don't know what you are talking about!" came her short reply.

"Tell me!" he shouted thrusting himself forward and grabbing her wrist, "and don't lie to me!"

"Why should you care when there's nothing at all between myself and Draco Malfoy!"

"Hermione Granger!" he held her in place and rushed to corner her against the wall by the entrance to the Common Room, "tell me."

"Tell you what, Ronald? What do you want to hear?" she asked brokenly, "do you want to hear that my parents are dead and his father is the murderer? Or how about the fact that I'm an orphan and the only person who gets what I'm going through is my worst enemy? What do you want to hear?"

"Hermione, I…"

"You what, Ronald? You didn't know? That explains a lot, doesn't it, that's why your being such a pig! Or is there something else you're not telling me?"

His head went down as if he was staring at the ground and his hands that were on either side of her against the wall shook as his body shuddered.

"Hermione…I just…" he looked up her with tears falling from his eyes, "I just didn't want to lose you…"

"Ronald, lose me? You're the one who started the quarrel between us-."

"That's not what I meant, Hermione…"

"Ronald, what's the matter?"

"Hermione, I…" he cut off his own words by pressing his lips against hers, his hands coming from the walls to cup her face as tears poured from her eyes.

"Ronald," she whispered pulling away, "I…can't do this right now."

"Am I that bad?" he asked taking a step back.

"No, Ronald," she laughed choking on tears, "I just need to go up and get some sleep…I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah," he said softly as if disappointed that she had said nothing more about his profession of love, "yeah, go rest."

She smiled and nodded and led him into the Common Room where they parted ways, a confused Ron and an almost relieved Hermione.

But outside, coming from behind his corner where he had watched the whole show, was Draco Malfoy. His eyes flashed with something that no one, had they seen him, could have explained, not even Draco himself could.

Hermione laid in bed that night tossing and turning first dreaming of Ronald and his mouth fused to hers, and then to Malfoy…

"What have I done?" she whispered, gasping as she sat up from a nightmare in which Malfoy and Ronald were both dying and she was the murderer, "oh no."

Her eyes trailed to the window where an owl was sitting staring at her, never blinking or making any indication that it was alive.

"Hedwig?" Hermione whispered standing up to open the window. But when she did so, the bird came plummeting to the floor with a sickening thud. It was dead. Hermione turned the owl over to take in its features…it was indeed Hedwig, Harry's now deceased owl.


End file.
